Venetian blind



June 18, 1940. A. w; VLARRISON VENETIAW BLIND Filed larch 7, 1939 INVENTOR. LA RR/SON A TTORNEY Patented June 18, 1940 UNITED STATES VENETIAN BLIND Arthur W. Larrison, San Francisco, Calif.

Application March '7,

8 Claims.

This invention relates generally to'the art of .window shades and is more particularly directed to that type of apparatus commonly referred to as Venetian blinds.

vention to provide an improved Venetian blind structure which, as a unit, may be mounted on a window casing or adjacent wall in a manner permitting a quick and easy removal of said unit without the use of tools, and which includes a head-rail at all times manually removable from stationary fixed supporting brackets, with said head-rail provided with drape supporting means and said brackets formed to removably support a cornice concealing the drape supporting means, the supporting brackets, and head-rail and its associated mechanism.

The invention is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way of example in 20 the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a portion of the Venetian blind unit.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of a, window casing and one of the pair of fixed brackets employed for removably supporting the unit shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the unit of Fig. 1 assembled in place in the bracket shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing the drapes and the concealing cornice applied to the structure illustrated in Fig. 3.

Heretofore it has been a general practice in the installing of Venetian blinds to securely fasten the head rail thereof to the ,window casing or wall in a manner requiring the use of tools and the services of a skilled mechanic at a cost which has always been a deterrent to a wide demand for and use of Venetian blinds. Such more or less fixed installation of Venetian blinds renders it exceedingly dimcult, if not impossible for unskilled persons, particularly women, to install 45 Venetian blinds, to remove such blinds for cleaning or for other purposes or to eflect an interchange between blinds of different windows of similar width.

In the practice of the present invention, I pro- 55 suitable brackets depending from the head-rail It is the principal object of the present in- 1939, Serial No. 260,343

Ii. Associated with the slats l0 and the tilting bar II and with the head-rail H are the usual tilting cords l5 and raising and lowering cords l6 together with the required operating connections, all of which may be of any suitable and well known character such as have long been employed for the purpose of manually manipulating the slats of Venetian blinds, and which it is not thought necessary to illustrate in detail for the purpose of disclosure.

The head-rail I4 is provided with a drape-rod l1, preferably formed of a flat metal strip, spaced outwardly from the front edge of the head-rail and supported thereon by spacing studs l8, said rod being bent around the adjacent end corners of the head-rail so that each free end I!) thereof extends rearwardly along and is spaced from the respective end of saidv head-rail, as shown in Fig. l.

The means employed for removably supporting the Venetian blind until A in its position of use, comprises a pair of opposed brackets which are of a character adapted to bev secured in place above and on opposite sides of the window in horizontal alignment.

These supporting brackets are of duplicateconstruction exceptthat one is a right-hand bracket and the other a left-hand bracket, only the righthand bracket being shown in the drawing.

With particular reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing, it will be-understood that each bracket B is formed to provide a vertical side wall extending forwardly from a vertical base flange 2! through which the bracket is secured in place by means of screws 22 or other suitable means, a I

lateral top flange 23 extending inwardly from the upper edge of said side wall, a vertical front wall 24 extending inwardly from the front edge of the side wall 20 with its upper edge vertically spaced downwardly from the top flange 23 to provide an intermediate throat or 'groove 25 adapted to receive an end of the head-rail It of the Venetian blind unit A, and a lateral tang 26 projecting inwardly from a lower edge of the side wall 80 in horizontal alignment with the upper edge of the front wall 24, this structure in effect forming a vertically disposed end bracket horizontally grooved to form a slide way for the head-rail of the unit A.

Pivotally mounted on the front wall 24 of each supporting bracket is a latch 21 of the gravity type which will remain in the latching position shown in Fig. 3 unless manually turned to a horizontal unlatching position, as shown in Fig. 2, and suitably secured to the outer surface of the side wall 20 is a vertically disposed laterally extended ear 28 having a vertically elongated slot 23 adapted to receive the respective free end l9 of the drape-rod l'l when the unit A is positioned in the supporting brackets. If it is found to be desirable, the latches 21 may be so mounted or constructed that they will be frictionally held in the unlatching position shown in Fig. 2 until the head-rail is inserted in place and said latches are then manually turned to the latching position, or they may be so mounted or constructed as to be at all times frictionally or otherwise maintained in either position to which they are turned.

With the latch 21 of each bracket in unlatching position, as shown in Fig. 2, the Venetian blind unit A may quickly and easily be hung by engaging the opposite ends of the head-rail M in the receiving grooves 25 of the respective brackets B, sliding said head-rail rearwardly to place and then turning the latches 21 to their vertical latching positions to engage the front surface of the head-rail and hold it in place, the free ends I9 of the drape-rod entering the slots 29 as the head-rail II is being inserted in the respective brackets.

After the Venetian blind unit A is thus hung in the supporting brackets B, the drapes C, provided with the usual drape-hooks 30, may be hung on the drape-rod H, as shown in Fig. 4.

The invention also includes provisions which will enable a cornice D to be detachably mounted upon the supporting brackets B to conceal said brackets and the upper portion of the Venetian blind unit A and the drapes C, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and to this end each bracket is provided with a cornice supporting tongue 3| attached to and projecting forwardly from the top flange 23 and having an upturned outer end 32, each bracket also being provided with a spring retaining finger 33 vertically aligned with said tongue 3| and having its free end curved upwardly and spaced rearwardly a short distance from the outer upturned outer end 32 of the tongue 3|.

The cornice D isprovided with a horizontal top plate 34 which is secured to the front and side walls thereof and extends rearwardly a distance only slightly less than the distance from the upturned end 32 of each respective supporting tongue 3| to the back of the throat between said tongue and the associated spring finger 33, and said top plate 34 at each corner of the cornice is longitudinally slotted to provide an opening 35 into which the upturned end 32 of the complemental supporting tongue 3| will engage.

To apply this cornice D to the brackets B, said cornice will be slightly tilted downwardly and rearwardly so that the rear edge of the top plate 34 .will enter between the outer ends of the spring fingers 33 and the upturned ends 32 of the supporting tongues 3|. The cornice will then be pushed rearwardly to engage the window casing or wall and afterwards its forward portion will be pulled down to align the cornice to a horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the spring fingers permitting this insertion of the top plate between them and the supporting tongues 3| and the outer upturned ends 32 of said tongues entering the openings 35 in said top plate so as to prevent outward displacement of the top plate and cornice, it being obvious that when the cornice is thus positioned, its,top plate will rest upon the supporting tongues 3| and the spring fingers 33 will engage said top plate to yieldingly hold said top plate and the cornice against accidental upward displacement.

While I have shown my improved device in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that various changes of structure may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I-Iauing thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A Venetian blind structure comprising a pair of supporting'brackets adapted to be attached in relative horizontal alignment to a window casing or adjacent wall on opposite sides of the window, said brackets each having on its outer side a rod supporting member adapted to support a free end of a drape-rod, a Venetian blind unit having a head-rail adapted to engage and be supported by said brackets, said head-rail having a drape-rod mounted on and spaced from its forward edge and having its opposite free ends extended around the opposite forward corners of said head-rail and rearwardly to engage the respective rod supporting members of said brackets, and means for preventing accidental displacement of said head-rail and the free ends of said drape-rod and releasable to permit removal thereof.

2. A Venetian blind structure comprising a pair of supporting brackets adapted to be attached in relative horizontal alignment to a window casing or adjacent wall on opposite sides of the window and provided with horizontal slide ways, said brackets each having on its outer side a rod supporting member apertured to receive a free end of a drape-rod, a Venetian blind unit having a head-rail adapted to he slid into place in said slide Ways, said head-rail having a drape-rod mounted on and spaced from its forward edge and having its opposite free ends extended around the opposite forward corners of said head-rail and rearwardly to slidably engage in the apertures of the respective rod supporting members of said brackets, and latch means for preventing accidental displacement of said head-rail and the free ends of said drape-rod and releasable to permit removal thereof.

3. A Venetian blind structure comprising a pair of supporting brackets adapted to be attached in relative horizontal alignment to a window casing or adjacent wall on opposite sides of the window, said brackets each having on its a outer side a rod supporting member adapted to support a free end of a drape-rod, a Venetian blind unit having a head-rail adapted to engage and be supported by said brackets, said headrail having a drape-rod mounted on and spaced from its forward edge and having its opposite free ends extended around the opposite forward corners of said head-rail and rearwardly to engage the respective rod supporting members of said brackets, and latch means for preventing accidental displacement of said head-rail and the free ends of said drape-rod and releasable to permit removal thereof.

. 4. A Venetian blind structure comprising a pair of supporting brackets adapted to be attached in relative horizontal alignment to a window casing or adjacent wall on opposite sides of the window and provided with horizontal slide ways, said brackets each having on its outer side a rod supporting member apertured to receive a free end of a drape-rod, a Venetian blind unit having a head-rail adapted to be slid into place in said slide ways, said head-rail having a drape-rod mounted on and spaced from its forward edge and having its opposite free ends extended around the top plate and said cornice to assume a horizontal.

opposite forward corners of said head-rail and rearwardly to slidably engage in the apertures of the respective rod supporting members of said brackets, and latch means for preventing accidental displacement of said head-rail and the free ends of said drape-rod and releasable to permit removal thereof.

5. A Venetian blind structure comprising a pair of supporting brackets adapted to be attached in relative horizontal alignment to a window casing or adjacent wall on opposite sides of the window, said brackets each having a forwardly extended cornice supporting tongue provided with an upturned outer end and a spring retaining finger spaced vertically from said tongue and having its forward free end spaced rearwardly from the upturned outer end of said tongue, a Venetian blind unit having a head-rail adapted to be removably supported by said brackets, and a hollow cornice having a top plate provided with apertures aligned with the tongues of said brackets and disposed to receive the upturned ends thereof when the cornice is installed to conceal said brackets, said head-rail and the upper portion of the Venetian blind unit, said cornice being thus positioned by being tilted to engage the rear edge of said top plate between the free ends of said retaining fingers and the upturned ends of said/supporting tongues and to then be slid rearwardly to permit said upturned ends to enter said apertures to allow the position in which said tongues will support the top plate and cornice with their upturned ends preventing lateral displacement thereof and in which the retaining fingers will yieldingly maintain said top plate and cornice in horizontal position.

6. A Venetian blind supporting bracket formed to provide on its inner side a slideway to receive the head-rail of a Venetian blind unit and to provide on its top portion an upwardly facing cornice support adapted for engagement by a top plate of a cornice, and a cornice retaining tension means disposed on said bracket in position to engage said cornice top plate to'removably maintain said cornice in place.

7. A Venetian blind supporting bracket formed to provide on its inner side a slideway to receive the head-rail of a Venetian blind unit, an upwardly facing cornice supporting tongue on the top portion of said bracket adapted for engagement by a top plate of a cornice, and a spring finger disposed on said bracket in position to engage said cornice top plate to removably maintain said cornice in place.

8. A Venetian blind supporting bracket formed to provide on its inner side a slideway to receive the head-rail of a Venetian blind unit and to provide on its outer side a rod supporting member formed for engagement by an end of a drape-rod.

' ARTHUR W. LARRISON. 

